The jinx strikes again! At this point, the Philadelphia 76ers fans may have completely given up on hoping their team would even qualify for the playoffs. Right from the first game, the team had to deal with Joel Embiid‘s knee recovery. So, it had then been Andre Drummond who covered the Cameroonian in the starting lineup. Notably, The Process made a brief return, and it only lasted 4 games before dropping the load again on Drummond. Now, the team has lost both bigs!

Drummond severely injured his ankle four minutes into the Saturday evening contest against the Detroit Pistons. During the 8:27 mark in the first quarter, the big man hopped near the rim to tip Tyrese Maxey’s misjudged layup. While he successfully tipped it on his second attempt, Dre twisted his right ankle after stepping on Tobias Harris’ foot.

Andre immediately held on to it in immense pain. The star tried to walk it off but ended up on the floor with what looked like a stinging pain. Eventually, he was helped off the floor and to the locker room by his teammates, Justin Edwards and Ricky Council IV.

The latest update from the center revealed that Andre Drummond won’t return for the rest of the game. However, the severity of the injury has yet to be disclosed. Of course, it’s going to be costly for the Sixers, as they currently don’t have their top two bigs in operation. The team has roped in Adem Bona to take care of the rim duty for the rest of the game.

Nevertheless, the injury didn’t have any impact on the game, as the Sixers continued to build on their lead. Heading into the fourth quarter, the team has held a 20-point lead. So, the Philly side might get their fourth win of the season.

How long will Andre Drummond be out of action? 

It’s quite hard to determine the timeline of the big man’s return without knowing the severity of the injury. Nevertheless, we have had enough examples in the league to determine the closest possible duration that Andre Drummond could be off the court.

Days into the season, Stephen Curry twisted his ankle not once but twice in the same game. The superstar was immediately taken off the court and didn’t return for the rest of the game. Later, the team announced that he had sprained his ankle and ruled him out for the next game. The Splash Bro had to sit out for three straight games and returned to the floor, fully recovered.

So, we can expect a similar scenario in Drummond’s case. However, with all due caution, if this is much more than a strain, then the team has to wait a bit longer. Notably, if it’s a fracture, then the star may have to sit out for multiple weeks before finding himself on the roster. So, it’s an uncertain and scary situation until the team makes an official announcement.

Andre Drummond has returned to the Philly side after a short stint at Brooklyn and Chicago with an extended role to lead the second unit. But the injury scenarios have pushed the hoopster to the starting lineup with further added responsibilities. Do you think Drumond would have avoided the injury if he had less ‘load’? Let us know in the comments.